If Nagato ever learned that Naruto would have let the invasion occur while watching idly, he would probably turned on him. Naruto was fine with being the most wanted men in the shinobi world – he had ways of escaping shinobi.

But if he could avoid such a fate, then he would take it.

It was for the reason that he was in this rainy village, stared upon by both Konan and Nagato. They still looked at him warily, perhaps over the impending invasion. If he could just say he took the Bijuu, their village wouldn't be under threat. Everyone loved their homes – but not him. Naruto didn't think he belonged to Konoha. It was not his home. There had always been some discomfort in that place.

"By now, Konoha must be ready with paperwork to strip me of all rankings and then brand me a rogue shinobi." Naruto announced in a quiet tone. "After everything, going back was just impractical. But you don't want to hear about how bad things are for me."

"I almost went into blows with Jiraiya." Nagato replied. "It would have been trouble for us had something happened to him."

"But you were warned he was coming and could thus take preventive steps. With his skills, infiltrating the village would have been easy. By the time you found him, he could have already discovered some things." Naruto had a look of indifference. "I had warned him about not coming here and even went my way to try to get him to back off… in this situation, I'm not really trusted."

"With good reason." Konan said. "Our nation is under attack. We have to defend it, even if it is against the Great Five."

Konan would make sure those who tried to invade through the water were buried under the lake. Nobody would step into this village to destroy it. To get through, they would have to step over her dead body.

"We have never held high opinion of the Great Five. Much of our suffering has been because of them. We would not be against their destruction and take over if they wish to destroy us."

People with God Complex. They always were right and had the right to set the world straight. It was truly fascinating. Nagato didn't seem like the arrogant type despite thinking of himself as God. Shouldn't he who carried a literal god inside of him have such thoughts? Naruto thought it would be doom to the shinobi world if he possessed such thoughts. He had many ideas about what was wrong with the shinobi world.

Everyone wanted change. Even an idealistic man like Jiraiya wanted change. But only those with power could make it happen. The weak could only dream and preach about peace falsehoods.

"Well, we don't want to end the shinobi world. I have said I will help you in return of keeping my secret and gathering the Bijuu for me…" he added with a smile. "But I would rather not take direct confrontation with the Great Five. It is also not good for you to do so unless forced. Your idea of peace will not succeed when the Great Five are against you. Unless of course, the Great Five are destroyed and that way, there is no opposition and you shape the world who you see it."

Konan thought Naruto was dangerous. He spoke of the destruction of the shinobi world so casually. It was no doubt something he has thought about and he had the power. If he joined hands with Nagato, they could do it. But the problem was that Naruto didn't seem to care about peace. It seemed to him mortals who desired peace were interesting creatures he liked to study.

It seemed he knew a secret that they all didn't know. But he kept it himself and just watched them toil for his amusement.

"Anyway, I have bound Uzushiogakure. It has become inaccessible now and protected by a barrier that is powered by the Kyubi. The barrier is covered by a thick Genjutsu. It means you can't see it. I have developed a contract with the Kyubi to allow for it to temporarily summoned from the island. The summoning can only last for five minutes." He took out a scroll and handed it to Nagato. "You sign that with your blood and you'll be able to summon it into battle. This is for both my benefit and to scare off the Kage. Kabuto told me what you need. A lot of chakra to revitalize your body. To be Uzumaki is certainly a blessing, isn't it?"

Border of Rain Country

"What is the meaning of this Hokage?"

Sasuke thought the Raikage looked more pissed off than the last time. It seemed that lightning was escaping from his chakra system. Was he that pumped up for war or was the reality that his brother was dead finally kicking up to him? Intel suggested A was a lot closer to his brother and his loss was surely a stab to the heart. Sasuke would know a thing or two about losing a brother.

"I don't think meeting to discuss things before we engage in Amegakure is a problem," Onoki said in a cautious tone. "It would be to our disadvantage if we just gave the order. Besides, there is only one way of entering into the Hidden Rain. And my people have not been able to come back."

"What do you mean your people have not been able to come back?" A demanded, stood still and glared sharply at the small figure of Onoki.

"We sent spies but they did not return."

"Meaning we don't know what awaits us in there," Mei said, sharing Onoki's concern. The Tsuchikage was the oldest. And his wisdom was showing here. They have the numbers and the superiority complex but entering a hole they knew nothing of was a stupid thing to do. "I can understand why you worry. But Konoha has some information. I'm not sure if helps anyhow."

Tsunade took the opportunity to speak.

"When we were leaving the meeting, we were attacked by one of the Akatsuki's leaders. He revealed to us that another one of them was going after Naruto. I left Kakashi and Sasuke to deal with him – and they did. Naruto engaged in Pain and as far as he says, he defeated him. But could not get the location of the Bijuu."

"That shouldn't be a problem for the Leaf. We know that you can get information even from the dead."

"The Jutsu has limits. Some minds are dangerous," Tsunade replied with a shrug. "We sent Jiraiya to Ame. He returned without answers we wanted. He said he was stopped from entering the village. And couldn't force his way because the person who stood in front of him was powerful and he wasn't sure he could survive the battle. And thought it best to just leave. Whatever the reason, he says he knows this person was hiding something."

Tsunade wasn't going to be stupid enough to admit to these people that this person was a student of Jiraiya. Honestly, Konoha's hand was everywhere that it didn't make them look good. It looked like they were the masterminds of this whole charade. Even if they were not, their shinobi's involvement made them suspect.

"Naruto fought the leader?"

"Yes."

"And couldn't find out where the Bijuu are?"

"Yes."

"You expect us to believe that? He was the one who was going around trying to convince us to be watchful of the Akatsuki and suddenly he doesn't find out where the Bijuu are?!" Onoki was staring at Tsunade with suspicion. "Where is he?"

"He went rogue." Tsunade admitted.

A laughed. "You really have no control over your shinobi!" he shouted. "It doesn't change anything. You're the ones who gave us information that the leader was located here. We know Hanzo is dead. In order to control S ranked criminals, the leader would have been powerful himself. Ame can't claim ignorance. That they don't want us to enter means they know something. We must continue this path."

"I agree with the Raikage. But we must be cautious." Onoki said. "But I'm concerned about why Naruto went rogue."

"If you find him, you can ask him." Tsunade replied sharply.

"Is there something you're hiding from us? You didn't want to kill him when it made sense to do so. He is now the only known Jinchuriki and he has gone rogue…" Onoki didn't need to add anything else to make his point clear.

"These developments are the reason the Hokage called for us to speak." Gaara intervened before anything could break loose.

"Why do I get the feeling that there is more?"

"The leaders of the Akatsuki are dead. We are not in danger anymore. Konoha feels there is no longer a need to invade Amegakure."

"Suna agrees with this. It would just be sending men to their deaths at this point."

"You want us to forget about our Bijuu?" A kept calm. "You keep calm because you still have yours. In this situation, Konoha maintains superiority over all of us. We cannot allow that to stand. The imbalance is unacceptable."

This was just going where Sasuke thought it would. It picked off slowly but it would soon turn into chaos. At which case, he would have step in. it didn't matter if he had to step on both the Tsuchikage and Raikage. The trick was acting quickly. If he got preoccupied with the Raikage, the Tsuchikage could turn him into dust with his jutsu. It was so unlike him to think like that, but Naruto had beat into him the danger of particle style.

As Naruto said, the jutsu was kind of 'unfair.'

"I'm not saying you should forget about your Bijuu. You're free to look for them. But the reason for invading Ame was because of the threat. That threat does not exist anymore."

"As long as Nine Bijuu are not known to us, there is a threat. We simply cannot just turn back." Onoki was shaking his head, a hint of disbelief at what the Hokage was suggesting. "But I understand your position. You have your Jinchuriki and we don't."

"I have already said Naruto has gone rogue."

"And you expect us to believe this?"

"If you want us to believe you. You tell us where he is and we go find him. He knows where the Bijuu are. If he doesn't know, he must die to achieve equality among the Great Five." A suggested.

"Konoha cannot do that."

Onoki shook his head. "Your shinobi were the last to meet this leader of the Akatsuki. We didn't meet him. In fact, it has been you who said they were in this place. And now suddenly, we mustn't invade. Your shinobi was the last to see the man who possibly knows where the Bijuu are but he has gone rogue. Jiraiya couldn't get into Ame because the leader is supposedly too powerful. Do you see how this looks?"

"Just say what you want to say." Tsunade stared back at Onoki.

"Was there a threat to the shinobi world or was it just your planning? Or Naruto's plans?"

"Aren't we the ones who were fighting the Akatsuki?"

"One might reason to clean up the mess." Onoki shrugged.

Personally, he didn't think anyone in Konoha was capable of this but the signs were just there to avoid. Konoha had been losing shinobi left and right. The disappearance of the Bijuu suited them better than anyone.

"Lest we forget, you're the only ones who didn't get attacked by the Akatsuki." Onoki said. "We agreed that we would invade Ame and we must. If you're saying that the leader is indeed dead and the people in Ame are hiding something, then it is more pressing for us to go there and find out what they are hiding. As far as we're concerned, Naruto could be in Ame at this rate."

"What you have told us makes it obvious that we must continue with this. We cannot unless you know something we don't. the threat is still there because for all we know, Ame could be behind the Akatsuki!"

Well, at least things were not coming to blows. Tsunade sighed inwardly. Nobody was being irrational. She seemed to be the one who was losing the plot and sooner or later, she was going to lose even the Mizukage. Gaara would stand by her because he trusted her.

But how did she get out of this? She couldn't get out of the plan to deal with Naruto. But the reality was Naruto was gone. Even if they didn't believe her, the Uzumaki was no longer part of the Hidden Leaf.

"That is indeed a possibility." Tsunade admitted through her gritted teeth. "But the decision is made. We don't even know anything about Ame to invade. The risks are no longer worth it."

"You're going against an agreement of a summit you called?" Onoki questioned. "You're the one who called for a meeting. We made an agreement and suddenly you want to back out? You think it works this way, Hokage?"

"I understand your concern. And that we might not be holding out our end if the deal. But that is why I called everyone to discuss this."

"You're not discussing anything. You're telling us that you're pulling out."

"This isn't going anywhere." Mei intervened. "What is the way forward here? Kirigakure doesn't know much about what is happening. And I am reluctant to send my men to a place we know nothing about."

"I suggest we call off the invasion. Let us think about this and decide what comes next."

Onoki scoffed. "Even if we agree, you might just change your minds again. At this rate, I don't even trust that you don't know where the Bijuu are. You might know and want to get them yourselves."

"That would be declaring war against all of you."

"Not like Konoha hasn't invited war before." Onoki shrugged. "What is certain is that Konoha's words mean nothing. You cannot come here and tell us that Ame is hiding something but we shouldn't go in even when we don't know where the Bijuu are. That alone is suspicious."

"He does make sense." Mei said.

"This is a waste of time. If Konoha doesn't want to invade, Iwa and Kiri and Kumo can call for more men and invade. But if we learn that you had something to do with this, both of you will be next. We will come for you!" A threatened.

"We shouldn't make such threats lightly."

"I am not. I lost my brother. Anyone responsible for this has to pay. And if you're responsible and have been fooling us, you must pay dearly." The Yondaime Raikage replied in a dead serious tone.

"Konoha has nothing to do with the Akatsuki. We actually warned all of you about them. You did not listen and lost your Jinchuriki as a result."

"Nobody gave you permission to speak Uchiha!"

"Yes… but he is telling you the truth." Tsunade said. "I cannot sit here and let you threaten Konoha. We did nothing wrong. And don't want to send men to their deaths when we know there is now no more threat. I'm avoiding saying anything because I don't want us to go to war."

"But your actions are treacherous and leading us there."

"That is your interpretation." Tsunade managed to be indifferent. "But if Konoha is threatened, we will defend ourselves. You're welcome to hunt down Naruto. But we won't help you. He has done much for our village. I repeat, we have done no wrong, and we will defend Ourselves against anyone who threatens us."

"Those words alone about Naruto makes me question if he really has gone rogue." Onoki said with suspicion. "But are you really sure you can defend Konoha? Suna is weak. Konoha lost the Uchiha. In the last war, even when you Sannin were at the peak of your powers you could do nothing. Even with the Uchiha. You had to thank the Minato. And now, you have neither. Do you think you stand a chance?"

The sudden spike of chakra caused the Kage and their guards to disperse. It was from Sasuke who quickly shifted into the armored version of the Susanoo. The dark purple Susanoo surrounded him from all sides. He stood still, looking at the Kage arrogantly.

"What are you doing Sasuke? Are you trying to make things worse?!" Tsunade shouted.

But the Uchiha ignored her, glaring toward the directions of both Tsuchikage and Raikage. "You think Konoha has weakened? You underestimate the power of the Uchiha!"

Onoki watched wide eyed, seeing the Uchiha turn into a gigantic purple creature of chakra. The Susanoo stood tall above them all. He was nothing but an ant before it. He could understand from the view, why Madara had treated them like children and told them to simply obey Konoha.

This was really a Susanoo. He had not seen this before. He had seen small versions of it but nothing like this and to think Konoha was hiding this power. By Konoha's own admission, this brat was not stronger than Naruto. Then what kind of a monster was the blond?

"Anyone who attempts to destroy Konoha will find me waiting for them." Sasuke's Susanoo held a chakra blade. This was cheap. It was a show off and the power shouldn't be used like this. It stung his pride that he considered dropping it but he had to do something to discourage these people against any naughty thoughts.

The Susanoo clenched its blade and then in the blink of an eye, it was swung.

Boom!

The Kage and their guards were blasted into the air by the shockwave that swing created. They didn't see anything but were sent flying along with large amounts of debris.

Tsunade was fortunate she had been behind the Uchiha when he took a swing. Both she and Gaara were safe but the other three bore some brunt. She feared this would just spur them to attack.

A was quick to recover. The Uchiha hadn't been aiming at them. The strike was just too powerful and they were closer. He wasn't stupid enough to think the Uchiha had failed in an attempt to kill them. He stood up, and stared motionlessly at the devastating effect of the swing.

The mountain in the distance was cleaned in half. Just one thing and a mountain was cut in half. Had it been directed at an army, it would have been disastrous. Had it been within the Cloud, the village would have been destroyed. He grew nervous. The Cloud didn't have this kind of power.

So, this was the power of the Uchiha. He swallowed hard. It was just like any Bijuu but with controlled destruction.

He looked back at the Uchiha.

"Konoha does not want war. With my power, I could destroy the Rain myself. But we choose not to do so because we think it would just be slaughtering innocent people. We will not attack anyone. But if you dare threaten us again, we will threaten you." Upon saying that, Sasuke dispersed his Susanoo.

Maybe it was reflex, but seeing the opportunity, A activated his lightning cloak. It was perhaps safe to just get rid of the Uchiha now than when they were at war. Onoki seemed to have the same idea as him.

A blurred out of sight, and appeared just front of the Uchiha who was still airborne. His lightning coated fist, cut through the airwaves in the blinding speeds that not even the Sharingan could follow. He was aiming for the Uchiha's chest. But his attack never reached the Uchiha. Someone else appeared out of nowhere and took his attack.

It shocked him.

Someone had simply appeared out of thin air and caught his fist. The man was a redhead, and wasn't even looking at him.

"I was told there would be an invasion and here you are now fighting among yourself. It seems you Great Nations only know destruction against each other that not even a fragile truth against a common enemy cannot sustain you."

"Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu." Onoki already had a cone shaped variant of his jutsu. He too recognized the danger the Uchiha posed. When the redhead appeared, he decided to take out both.

The cone expanded in a flash toward the redhead.

Nagato had already seen the Tsuchikage preparing his jutsu. When he felt the spike of Chakra, he already was prepared.

"Gakido." He held out his left hand and then jutsu hit a barrier before being absorbed. While Onoki stood wide eyed, Sasuke flashed away from him. "Shinra Tensei." A rather light Jutsu and he sent the Raikage flying like a bullet.

Slowly, Nagato descended to the ground. It felt strange being on his feet. The chakra he absorbed from Naruto was just too great. It had restored his youth and given him more power than he had expected. The power of the Jubi was truly nothing he had expected. Yet even as he felt like God and could stomp on all these people and their armies, the power Naruto wielded as even greater.

"Are you okay, Raikage?" Onoki asked his partner in crime, floating above the man.

A quickly stood up, unharmed and ignored the Tsuchikage's concern. "You were supposed to take him out. Now we have this situation to deal with. We just tried to kill him."

Onoki shrugged carelessly. "There is an even bigger threat. That man just absorbed my jutsu." He said in a deeply concerned tone. "A Rinnegan wielder, huh? Wasn't the Akatsuki leader supposed to be a Rinnegan wielder?"

"Hmm…"

"You must be Nagato." Tsunade said, to the redhead. No doubt an Uzumaki. He was definitely the child Jiraiya took in.

Nagato didn't turn out to face Tsunade but faced the sky. There was nothing but a tense silence as they waited for him to respond.

Nagato did hand seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" in a large puff of smoke, the monstrous form of the Kyubi appeared. They were all experienced enough to know that this was the real deal.

"Why have you summoned me, Uzumaki?" Kurama demanded.

Nagato ignored the Bijuu.

"We were peaceful, mindful of our own business until we were told that you seek to invade us. I was angry. How arrogant can you Great Five get? You have used us as a battlefield and now its suits you, you want to finish us. You have been leading nations for far too long that you don't even consider our sufferings. You all think you can do as you please," Nagato released a bit of his chakra. "I came here to see if you have indeed declared war on us. If you have, we will defend ourselves by killing everyone who dares… even you Kage. We have no problem in showing you that the power you think you have is nothing. We would be more than happy to show you what it means to be weak and trampled upon."

Why was everyone so powerful? Onoki wanted to know. He thought Sasuke was a danger but this man has proved he was even more of a danger.

"Are you the leader of Amegakure?" Onoki demanded.

"I am."

"Then answer this; do you have our Bijuu?"

"If I had them, they would all be trampling on the armies you have positioned to invade us… some would have been done by now while you argue and heading toward your villages to do to you what you wish to do upon us."

Those words were chilling.

Onoki imagined see two Bijuu wrecking havoc in his country and thought of wanting to rush back home. The Uzumaki made sense. They had declared war on Amegakure. And if he indeed had the Bijuu, he would be using them.

"We can't just trust you. When you already have the Kyubi."

"That shouldn't be the question right now." Tsunade shouted from the other side. "Naruto is supposed to host the Kyubi. What happened to Naruto?!" She demanded from the man.

"It should be obvious where he is. Once a Jinchuriki loses his Bijuu, he dies. We were given this because of the threat posed by you Great Nations. We are small nations, this is the power to defend ourselves." Nagato replied calmly. He paused, and the Kyubi disappeared in a puff of smoke. He remained floating in the sky. "Dialogue, we welcome. After all, we do want to hear how you plan to make up for the violence you have inflicted upon us all these years in your wars. A warning; if you're still within the borders of this country by the end of this day, we will take it as you plan to continue with your efforts. In which case, we will not show you mercy. And we will not stop with just those who attack. We will wipe our your entire villages to ensure nobody rises in the future to attack us. As Konoha will know, the Kyubi is capable of much destruction. And we will unleash it and those who threaten us."

After saying those words, Nagato disappeared into the sky.

"Sasuke," Tsunade stared at the Uchiha. "How can Naruto be dead? Is he really dead? He is Uzumaki and why would he give away the Kyubi?"

Well, this was a little genius from Naruto. If people thought he no longer housed the Kyubi, then no one would be after him. They wouldn't even think he housed all the other Bijuu within him. They had seen Nagato with the Kyubi. The Kyubi was in Amegakure. Not with Naruto – so there was no reason to think he had it. There was the question, was he even alive. It wasn't a question that people died after a Bijuu was stripped from them.

"Naruto likes helping people. He was in a position where he fell prey to someone with power and could do nothing. If Ame was going to be destroyed and he didn't want to put himself in between but could help, then he could have given them the Kyubi," the Uchiha replied with indifference. "He is Uzumaki, so he might still be alive."

"I do propose we consider things carefully." Mei said.

"Yeah, the Raikage and Tsuchikage just tried to kill me." Sasuke said with a stare.

"After that attack you pulled, we can be forgiven for thinking you were trying to kill us first." Onoki was quick to reply with a straight face. "We have no war with you. And obviously we do need to consider things. Ame's power means we must revaluate. If Suna and Konoha are not going to take part, we can postpone the invasion until we have learned all we must about the village's power. At this rate, we would simply be sending our men to their deaths."

A refused to say anything. This was just embarrassing.

"You really have no shame to say that with a straight face." Tsunade said with a laugh. "But Sasuke acted without regard. I will excuse your attempt to his life. I need to process that we lost the Kyubi to Ame. That is something Konoha cannot let stand. Naruto has no right to give it away but it explains why he went rogue. At any rate, the other Bijuu remain missing and I hope as you hunt for them, you will not fight each other. If we hear something, we will let you know," Tsunade turned out. "Let's go Sasuke. We don't want to make the people of this country turn on us."

Gaara followed.

"I look forward to hearing from you. Kiri has two Bijuu lost. I hope, for the sake of peace, you will each stick to your own Bijuu." Mei said to both A and Onoki. "If Kiri learns of something, we will let you know. But remember, we are most likely not looking for eight of them, but the statue that the Kazekage described. It could be hidden in Ame or any other nation."

"Then we must cooperate in searching everywhere. We must nonetheless start with Ame." Onoki replied.

"Why don't you send men to Ame."

"We can do that. Have them host Chunin exams in the pretense of trying to mend things over their grievances over past actions. If they let us in, we can look." Onoki said.

"I will hear from either of you then." Mei bowed slightly and went her way.

A glared at Onoki. "That was embarrassing!"

"We are shinobi. We must sometimes face such moments. You must think about your men, Raikage. That man holds the Rinnegan and it is said to be more powerful than the Sharingan. We've already seen the power of the Sharingan. This isn't the end of the story. We can swallow this to fight another day."

Fire Country

"What the hell was that, Sasuke?!" Tsunade shouted once they stopped running. The army of men where already ahead, moving back to their homes. No doubt, in relief that there would be no war.

"They were threatening Konoha."

"You replied by threatening them! If Nagato hadn't appeared as he did, we could have gone into war when they attacked you!" She was right in front of the Uchiha, the little control she had now thrown out of the window. "Do you understand what you nearly pulled us into?!"

Sasuke folded his hands across his chest. "But if I had kept quiet, they would have just kept at it."

"But wouldn't have attacked. We could have gone into war because of you!"

"Calm down, Hokage." Gaara cut in in a stern tone. "We are not going to war. And I don't think Sasuke did anything wrong. Those two were threatening us. Bending over is what gives them the strength to think they can attack us and say whatever they want. Sasuke merely stood up for Konoha and showed that Konoha was not weak. If there had been intentions to attack you, that gave them something to think about."

Tsunade wasn't done but she didn't press the Uchiha. "Tell me the truth, and if you lie to me, I'll make sure you never become Hokage: did you know anything about this? Naruto is not so noble that he would give his life for another village."

Sasuke laughed. "Well, he isn't noble but what I said is the truth. Naruto does like helping strays." The Uchiha replied. "And no, I did not know anything about it. I told you the truth about what happened when I met him."

Tsunade stared for a long minute and then nodded.

"I don't think he is dead though." Tsunade refused to believe that Naruto would die just like that. "This nonetheless works well for us. We avoided war and can look forward to the future with a little bit of ease. We have nothing to fear about Kumo and Iwa so we can be at ease." She turned to Gaara. "Thank you for having my back. Without you, things could have been different."

Gaara shook his head. "We are friends. I trusted your word and still do."

"That is why I will never forget this. You have simply trusted our word. And Konoha will forever be grateful."

"I believe that is what we have tried to built on our relationship and I should hope when the time comes, you'll return the favor."

"Of course." Tsunade smiled. "Hopefully, my successors will be reminded of this. We dodged the bullet today."

"But it was very close to hitting us." Gaara conceded. "I should join my men. We have a long journey ahead of us."

"Be safe, Kazekage."

"Of course… Sasuke…" Gaara nodded and disappeared along the sand.

Tsunade let loose of a long sigh of relief. Things ended up working for the better. She could not have expected things to go this way. Sasuke was perhaps right, Naruto did have something in mind even if he didn't show up himself. Shikaku might say the blond disliked geniuses but he was quite the shrewd himself. She was just left with Sasuke. How she needed to get control of him.

The good thing was that she didn't doubt his power.

"Even with all your power, you can't defeat Naruto?" Now that she thought about it, Naruto wasn't the one to flaunt his power. In fact, he was known to avoid battles when necessary. Perhaps was just loath to the violence or it was just boring to him because everyone was weak.

"I have never known to use the Kyubi's power in battle… so, even now, he is still the same Naruto." Sasuke said to the thought that the blond might be weakened. "But yes, I could never get the best of him even with perfect Susanoo. I can't keep it forever. So as long as Naruto can take hits, I can't win. He liked doing that… just pushing endurance rather than fighting back."

"How do you fight against something like that?"

"Naruto has jutsu for that… it just less interesting for him." Sasuke shrugged. "Had it not been for that man, the Tsuchikage's jutsu could have killed me. Naruto told me the Raikage was fast but I didn't think he was that fast. And the Tsuchikage Jutsu was even faster."

"And you manage to say that carelessly."

"It's not use frowning over it. I escaped and learned something." What was disturbing was that Nagato stopped both effortlessly. He could understand why Naruto had no intention of stopping the invasion. It was because he knew it would not be so simple. "With your permission, I want to go to Amegakure to ask about Naruto."

"Go. And return with something valuable and do it secretly. I don't want others knowing about this."

"Of course. I'll leave once we have reached the others."

"That's dutiful of you."

"If something happens to you, I will be the one who gets blamed. Some people might even think I let it happen on purpose to get your power." Sasuke replied in a flat tone.

Tsunade wore an amused expression but did not reply. She did not do so because that was the likely scenario. Even those who loved him in the village could turn on him.

Life changed that quickly.

Minutes Later

There were no camps when Tsunade arrived at the strong 1000 men of Jonin ranked shinobi. They were scattered under the shades of the trees, some eating and drinking water. Had things gone differently, they would have been engaged in a brutal battle. Some would return home, some would be lost in battle. The relief was apparent. Shinobi were ready to give their lives for their villages but when they could escape it, they chose life.

Nobody really wanted to die.

She leaned over a tree. At least, she would not have the record of sending men to their deaths. She avoided such a tragedy. Everything was still possible. The future wasn't that great. After all, she had seemingly lost the trust of both Kumo and Iwa. Trying to get the Mizukage on her side would be difficult but not impossible. At least for now, they had side-stepped the worst.

"What happened, Hime?" Jiraiya asked with concern. "I felt signs of battle. But was told by scouts that you were returning."

"We almost had a fight that I feared would happen." But wouldn't have happened if Sasuke didn't open his mouth. "You probably felt Sasuke displaying his Uchiha prowess to those threatening the Leaf with destruction."

"Well, that was expected."

"Indeed." On normal course of events, letting it slide wouldn't be smart but on such a grand scale, giving it no power was the sensible thing to do if you wanted to deescalate tensions. "Nagato appeared. I didn't tell them he was your student and it must never be revealed to anyone. You got it?"

"I got it. What did he do?" Jiraiya frowned thinking about Nagato. He was no doubt no longer the same person. The man he met had shown willingness to kill him if it stopped him from entering the Rain.

It really did show that if he had entered, he could have discovered something that would ensure even Konoha took part in the invasion. Nagato was really connected with the Akatsuki – or maybe he was the Akatsuki. But a battle with Naruto certainly changed things. Of course, that was whether Pain was the same person as Nagato. Out of the three he trained, Nagato had the potential to be the most powerful. But he wouldn't put it past Yahiko to have been the leader. He was always the leader and the hardened one. In his confrontation, Nagato did admit the man was dead.

"A and Onoki were attacking Sasuke. He stopped it and spoke about past injustices and basically threatened to wipe us all out if we chose to continue with the invasion." Tsunade sighed. They were really close to blows. She didn't want to think about what could have happened if he hadn't showed up at that moment. "He showed up with the Kyubi." She added in a deadly serious tone. "And said Naruto gave it to him, even suggesting he was dead."

Jiraiya fell silent, shocked. "He was just fine when I saw him."

"But he is without question, no longer a Jinchuriki of the Kyubi." Tsunade replied. "There will be no invasion, for now at least. With the odds, even A could see it was not wise to invade Ame. Especially when we had decided not to take part in it. Sasuke has gone to Ame to speak with Nagato about Naruto and what he meant by some of his words."

"What words?"

"He doesn't like the Great Nations. Not that I would blame him. But I got the feeling one wrong move from us and we could be facing someone with every motivation to see our destruction. It dawned on me then, perhaps even to the others that if this man really had the Bijuu, he would be using them to make us feel what they have felt." The contempt for the Great Nations hasn't been masked. And it was something that wouldn't make Onoki comfortable. Tsunade was certain, the Tsuchikage had merely gone back to regroup.

"I got the same impression… at least on his contempt for Great Nations." Jiraiya then admitted. "His parents were killed by Konoha shinobi. They were living peacefully in their land when Konoha shinobi came looking for food. He admitted he killed them in rage. I don't think he has ever been able to forgive nor forget that."

"Despite being trained by a Konoha shinobi?"

"That doesn't take away the loss of his parents." Jiraiya stared. "Anyway, you think Sasuke will be allowed entrance?"

"I think so. He obviously has some connection with Naruto. And if they had something to do with the Akatsuki, Sasuke is someone who can keep that secret. But not you. If you went in and found out that they were involved, you'd decided to take it on yourself to stop them. Nagato must have been conscious of that."

"If you had such thoughts, why didn't you continue with the invasion?"

"It is something Shikaku said. Besides, when I was told Naruto succeeded, even though he'd gone, it became certain that an invasion was no longer necessary. It was just a needless battle that would eventually lead to an all out war. The truce was only temporary." Tsunade closed her eyes, thinking deeply. "If Ame did indeed have something to do with the Akatsuki, and I think it does, then it deserved to be invaded. But taking part in it when the threat of the Jubi no longer existed would have just been walking into a trap. We would lose good shinobi and without doubt, someone would betray someone. Onoki's movements were predictable."

"So it is not for Ame but for Konoha."

"I am the Hokage, I will always put Konoha first. It is my duty to think what is best for the village. But it doesn't answer the question about where the other Bijuu are. We have to look or maybe Sasuke will come back with some answers."

"You've already said he isn't going to tell us everything. I should go too."

"If you go there and die, it wouldn't be enough for me to order an invasion of Ame." Tsunade said without emotion. "Let us wait for what Sasuke has to say. Besides, Nagato did say he was waiting for dialogue from us. Then, Ame will soon be open."

Amegakure

Nagato thought it was a miracle he didn't kill the Kage. Yahiko would have thought it best to just kill them all because they did not deserve to be world leaders and they had threatened their beloved home. Such a destructive path would have been a breeding ground for war and chaos. But it would be in that chaos that the Great Nations would realize their pain and know what it meant to be trampled upon.

He glanced at Konan and smiled. She has always been around. A pillar to his strength. She kept him grounded on his impulses. Surely, without her, he would have wrecked havoc in the Elemental Nations.

Beside her was Naruto. He sat atop of the balcony, never minding the long fall. He seemed to be busy with Konan about something.

"It seems that your plan will work." Nagato said to Naruto.

Naruto smiled. "That's a relief. I don't have to go on a path of destruction." Really, wiping out a village was criminally easy for a Jinchuriki of the Jubi.

"And you get your freedom."

"Not quite but it is much better this way." Naruto replied. "You must not relax: since you have shown your hand, they'll want to rip out what is inside of it."

"I know that."

"Sasuke or Jiraiya should come back. But once again, until the stain of Pain is removed from the village, he cannot enter. But Sasuke is different. I didn't speak to him about this, so he'll want answers. You can deal with him as you please. For now, I'll disappear for a while to enjoy my life."

"We will awaiting your return." Nagato replied. But he was confident, he could do things himself. He felt young and much more powerful than before.

Naruto didn't reply but simply fell back, diving into a free fall.

Nagato didn't bother looking. "We have gotten the attention of the Great Nations. We must use it wisely. But if anyone threatens us, they will face our wreath."

"Would you have killed Jiraiya-sensei?"

"If he came into the village, he would have known that Pain is me. We don't know what decision he would have taken. We are the Akatsuki. As his former students, he would have taken the decision to rid of us himself if we posed a threat to the shinobi world."

Somewhere along the sea

Ino stared at Naruto with hands folded across her chest. The Uzumaki was lying on a chair, head facing up, eyes closed. He seemed so relaxed she could almost stab him.

"Why are these people with us?" She glared at the redhead sitting beside him. She too lay, fully immersing herself in the warm sun rays. Karin wasn't the only other person in the large luxurious ship that was reserved for Kings and Feudal Lords.

There was also a snake in the ship.

Naruto opened his eyes, those ripples made Ino flinch. She wasn't used to them. She was used to those blank blue orbs that always contained mystery and sometimes, mirth.

"Karin is a prisoner of mine."

"Yeah right."

"Relax, Ino." Karin sat up. "We're going on a long journey. At the pace of this ship, we'll be stuck in the sea for at least a month. You're not going to be pouting all the time, are you?"

"If I have to see you everyday? Sure, why not."

"You two enjoy misery. You really deserve each other…" and just like that, she departed from the deck.

It took a couple of moments, but Ino took her place. The tension in her body eased slowly and she allowed her eyes to close. The sound of waves splashing into the boat, a distant sound of sea birds. The warm fragrance of salt water. She allowed herself to be lost in the sea of nature. And the tension completely disappeared and she finally relaxed.

"If you were going to miss Sakura this much, you could have dragged her along. But I'm not sure she would have appreciated leaving the fantasy husband behind."

Naruto's voice reached without the usual amusement he had over Sakura's obsessions. It caused her to open her right eye and glance over at him. His eyes were closed once more. He seemed so relaxed and free that she thought he might be someone who just got released for prison. When was the last time she saw him this way?

"I'm more sorry for your boyfriend. He doesn't have anyone in Konoha. Its really sad."

"A fault of his making."

"That's new. I thought you were just the jealous type who wouldn't let him play with others."

"Hahaha… well, it is kind of sad…" Naruto paused, slowly opening his eyes. "But I have you. Who knows, maybe when you go back to visit your parents, you'll find her happily pregnant with Sasuke's offspring to begin the restoration of the Uchiha clan."

"Don't joke about that. She'd actually do that!"

"Wouldn't be surprising but that isn't our business." Naruto shrugged indifferently. "We have our happy lives ahead of us." He said holding out his left hand. Ino felt it and took it. He ushered her to him, and shifted to the side, making space for her. She lay on her side, as did he, and he had both hands wrapped around her. "Now I really wish we were alone." He whispered.

"Are you thinking about something naughty?"

"Why?" he asked, kissing her on the back of her neck. "We could throw Kabuto into the sea. It's not like he doesn't deserve it after what he put me through. I could have Karin implant Obito's eye and then teleport her back to Uzu. She could keep the Kyubi company."

"I'm worried you sound serious."

Naruto chuckled. "Would you complain if I was?"

"I suppose not. But I'd be happier if I get to throw Kabuto myself."

"Let's stop before I seriously consider it." Naruto said, pulling Ino closer.

Ino giggled. She had her eyes closed, enjoying his warmth, feeling his breath over her neck. "Please don't teach our children that kind of twisted thing."

"Are you saying I'm twisted?"

"I'm saying you're mad. But I love you, just as mad as you are."

Naruto smiled. "Thank you… and I love you… even though you were once a Sasuke fangirl." .

She nudged him slightly. "What a way to ruin a good moment!"

"Sorry…" he laughed. "Couldn't help it." He fell silent for a moment. "Would you have been happier if you were back at Konoha?"

"Don't worry about that. Choices have to be made. I would have had to eventually leave home…" she paused. "You weren't training me when you took me away for those two years with Sasuke, weren't you?" She accused, eyes fully opened.

"You give me too much credit."

Meanwhile

Karin stepped into a Cabin. The center, small black orbs of chakra floated just above the floor in a circle. The foot of a wooden cross was rooted to the center of the circle. Naruto was nailed on the cross by multiple black rods. Half the body was covered by what was like a blank ink but it was the person they had come to know as Zetsu.

There was no escape for him. The reason he was even still alive was because he couldn't be cut down to death and Naruto thought sealing him was a risk – and so, he was going to be vaporized. But he needed some answers first. But the thing wouldn't talk no matter what. Though, he seemed pissed off his plan had been foiled when he was so close.

When she heard footsteps behind her, she frowned deeply.

"I warned you not to walk in behind me."

Kabuto chuckled – a little bit darkly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I won't forget you once had me locked in a prison." She glared at him. "You can even wipe that smile off your face. You're going to die horribly one day."

Really, he was going to die a horrible death.

Kabuto did not reply to this but stood beside her, watching Black Zetsu. "An interesting creature, isn't he? Just attach to you and he can control your body, almost like a parasite."

Karin wasn't going to deny this much. It was nothing like what Orochimaru could create. Zetsu didn't appear to be bound by the life spans of humans. He wasn't human to begin with. He was just a mass of something. It didn't seem like you could hurt him. The sadistic bastard beside her was greedily waiting for them to arrive to their destination before starting to cut him up to study him. Maybe there could be answers to the immortality Orochimaru desired. They seemed to be willing to discard their humanity for this goal.

"I really curious about what he planned to do. But we will know eventually." She turned away and left Kabuto, closing the door behind her.

End

So, I wrote chapter 23 and then quickly did this one. I'd planned on doing maybe five more chapters but things seemed to naturally flow into this direction. I'm conscious I seem to be incapable of writing endings. But anyway, I asked myself, where to from here? I labored much in thought as I sat with these chapters and finally came to a conclusion.

The story ends here. The possibly might be a better way to end, but this feels like the right place to stop.

Thank you everyone… for the reviews that have helped me do better and change things there and there when it has helped.

The Omnipresent Sage